The river press., 1887-12-07
A LOGICAL LETTER.
Reply of Capt. /. p Baker to the Interstate
Commerce Commission Concerning
the Long and Short Haul.


! The Interstate commerce commission
has requested representative business men
and transportation companies to give their
opinion of the effect of the long and short
haul clause of the law upon the business of
the country, especially with regard to the
| competition between rail and water. A
letter of this character addressed to the
Benton Transportation company has been
replied to by Capt. I. p. Baker, the COM
pany's manager at Bismarck, and through
the courtesy Of that gentleman the Tribune
of that city is enabled to give the same
publication. The following is Capt.
Bakers letter:
BISMARCK, Oak, November %, 1887, >
C. c. Mccain, Esq, Auditor nter-State
Commerce Commission, Washington, D.
c., Dear Sir Respectfully replying to
your communication of the Goth, I beg to
state there are no points upon the line of
this company to or from which Interstate
rates for freight or passengers are higher
than rates to or from more distant points
in the same direction on our line on the
upper Missouri river, Or the country tribu-
tary thereto.
Rererring to the long and short haul
principle, I desire to commend the law as
it now stands. In our opinion it conduces
to the prosperity of river and lake naviga-
ton, and tends to build up that mode of
transportation. Itprevents railroads from
conducting a war of determination against
water routes at terminal points, and points
where railroads intersect the river, at the
expense of railroad local traffic. It does
not wholly prevent the railroads from
making this war of determination Casually
practiced against river routes); but in all
such wars it gives the benefit ofsuch com
petition to all intermediate local points on
it's line of road [ believe the long and
short haul clause tends to protect and in
duce the construction of air line roads be
tween great commercial centers.
The entire northwest, including Dakota
and Montana, is particularly interested in
the maintenance of the law as it now
stands. [ beg to call particular attention
to the application of the law on the upper
Missouri river, which is intersected at Fort
Benton, several hundred miles above Bis
marck, and at several other points by roads
recently constructed. In past years river
steamers have operated and have proved a
worthy competitor Of railroads and other
modes of transportation. Permit the Vio-
lation of the short haul principle ssand you
would justify the new road in making free
rates to Fort Benton and a few river points
at the expense of it's local patrons, until
they forced the retirement of steamboats,
which are now operated in connection with
eastern roads at Bismarck and points be-
low, aud giving the entire northwest the
benefit Of all rates made in competition be-
tween river and rail.
It is a we'll known fact that the great de-
crease and almost total destruction OF COM
merce on all of the great rivers Of the west
during the past few years was not the re
suit Of honest competition between river
and railroads; but rather by a rate war of
determination practiced at a few principal
points on the river where intersected by
railroads, and during which rate wars all
local rates on the lines of railroads were
maintained, and in some cases advanced
by railroads to afford them revenue to carry
on the war against the river routes; in
many instances railroads refusing to
furnish cars at their near local points for
the transportation Of products to the river
terminals, compelling shippers to pay high
rates for transportation to the river, and
to eventually abandon the river lines and
ship by "all rail" at higher rates than could
possibly be charged If the long and short
haul law was in existence.
In our experience the long and shart haul
clause is benefit to the entire country
and should stand; for it compels railroads
and river routes to give the benefit of
legitimate competition to inland towns as
to river centers. Yours truly,
I. p. BAKER.